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Two Hebrew letters read as the word for 'living', worn as a pendant.
Also known as: Chai pendant, Hebrew life symbol, Hai
Chai is the Hebrew word for 'living', written with the letters chet and yod and worn as a pendant or displayed as an emblem. Because Hebrew letters carry numerical values, chai adds to eighteen, and gifts of money in multiples of eighteen are a widespread custom at weddings and celebrations for that reason. Like Ik Onkar it is writing rather than a device, and reading shapes into it mistakes a script for a picture.
Adds to eighteen under the numerical values Hebrew letters carry, which is why gifts of money at weddings and celebrations are commonly made in multiples of eighteen — a custom readers meet without being told where the number comes from.
Contexts: Religion
Two Hebrew letters side by side: a wide bridge shape with two descending legs, followed by a small hooked stroke that hangs from the top line.
Both are worn as marks of Jewish identity.